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At this time of year with placements looming and assessment deadlines on the horizon, not to mention 1st Teaching Posts to apply for, time is of the essence.

So to support students during this potentially difficult period of time, over in Design and Technology teaching spaces are booked over the lunch period, which provides not only a few hours per week of additional contact time, but helps to create and maintain a collegiate, industrious working atmosphere.

Staff stay around after the formal contact time and are on hand to offer additional support, which also at this frantic period in the students journey is very much appreciated by the students.

What are the benefits?

This approach has proven to contribute positively to the students attendance, engagement, attainment, and also has had a positive impact on the students general feelings of well-being.

Working lunches have proven to be so popular where possible students have also been coming in early for ‘breakfast club’!

For more information about the benefits of this initiative on students well-being, engagement and attainment please contact:

Including students in professional networks, conferences and field trips

What happened?

Students are provided with the opportunity to engage in networking with a diverse group of nutrition and food professionals. It enables them to link the taught theory with practical applications in academia and industry. It helps them recognise the relevance of their learning on their future careers. Transferable skills include the ability to develop professional communication skills and maintaining up-to-date knowledge within the subject area.

What is the likely impact?

The students are enabled to see the scope and diversity of their subject. It also allows them to acknowledge that there are career opportunities within their particular areas of interest. Conferences and field trips also contribute towards helping them relate the theory learned to practice or real world settings.

Providing opportunities to encourage students to become research assistants

What happens?

It is more typical for students to be taught the theory of research, rather than taking part in the actual live research process. Students are given the opportunity and encouraged to take part in actual research activities led by lecturers on the programme. This will enable them to transfer skills such as team work, time management, research data collection skills and communication skills.

What is the impact?

This directly impacts on students by developing their ability to acknowledge the relevance of the taught theory elements within the programme. It will also highlight the importance of current research alongside developing and enhancing their understanding of the research process and their practical primary research data collection skills.

The development of the ‘Getting Started’ pre-entry support package for students

What happens?

The Getting Started support package is designed to offer students a seamless transition and a preview into the process of learning at Edge Hill and specifically on their chosen programmes. This is beyond simply pre-course reading, engaging students in becoming familiar with potential sources that will underpin their learning in level 4 and beyond.

What is the likely impact?

Students who have chosen EHU as their Higher Education provider are brought into the learning community before they have even enrolled on campus. The student is embraced and supported to recognise potential key sources, to be exposed to potential learning materials, and to feel they have made inroads into their learning by the time they arrive on campus for their induction week.

To book to attend a Professional Staff Development Seminar on this topic please click here CLT.

The integration of the students’ role both in the identification of placements and in their feedback on placement experience back into the teaching within the programme

What happens?

It was felt that students should be central to decision-making about placements. Where they may already be involved with placements, having them share these experiences was felt to be beneficial to the programme.

Using their placement experiences will add a depth and richness to the class discussions and is anticipated to deepen the value of learning on placements. Having students engaged in approaching placement providers adds ownership to that placement and develops their own networking skills, which is transferable to all settings.

What is the likely impact?

Directly, this will support improving placement opportunities by widening the resource base; it may indirectly also lead to enhancing learning from placement. Giving students choice and capacity to approach placement providers is expected to provide opportunity for reflection and personal development.

The provision of funded additional qualifications, e.g. first aid and coaching qualifications, to enhance students’ employability

What happens?

Students on the Working with Children 5-11 programme will be offered funded opportunities to enhance their employability and to widen their knowledge of potential career pathways.

What is the likely impact?

This programme has recruited a group of approximately 25 full time and 5 part time students for the first cohort staring September 2017. We anticipate this strategy having an impact on students’ perception of the quality of their programme and on their employment outcomes.

For more information relating to the impact of this strategy please contact: Polly Thorpe, Thorpep@edgehill.ac.uk

The selection of students as ‘Digital Leaders’ (DL) to support staff and other students in using digital learning technologies

What happens?

Students apply for a DL role and go through a selection procedure which includes a presentation. They work with the Department’s TEL Lead with the intention of supporting tutors’ use of TEL and being advocates for the use of TEL in schools with students on ITE programmes and the Department’s HEFCE programmes which all have a focus on children, education and communities.

The Departmental TEL Lead has been appointed as a Solstice Fellow and so we would anticipate that this practice would be presented to a wider audience. The Department’s first DLs were appointed in semester 2 of 2016/17. They have supported the TEL Lead in working with the sub-teams within the Department, have established an online presence with the ITE students through social media and have attended and worked on a national TEL conference (BETT)

What is the impact?

We expect that the DLs will have an increasing impact on the use of TEL in the Department’s teaching and on students’ confidence in using TEL to support children, their families and their communities.